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Jack Wilshere out for three weeks with ankle injury and misses England World Cup qualifiers

Jack Wilshere will be out of action for at least the next three weeks after picking up an ankle injury at Spurs.

Last Updated: 13/03/13 7:44am

Jack Wilshere: Ruled out with an ankle injury

The midfielder has been recuperating in Dubai after sustaining the problem in the Gunners' 2-1 reverse at White Hart Lane on 3 March.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said: "Wilshere has an inflamed ankle, the other ankle. He will be out for Bayern, Swansea and for England.

"Hopefully for the Premier League, he will only miss one game because of the international break.

"I noticed recently he has had to dig deep for us, it's not welcome for us but he needed a breather.

"But it's more preventative. We trust our people who are specialists."

Roy Hodgson will select his England squad on Thursday but must plan without the 21-year-old for two crucial ties.

Wilshere has seven senior caps and was seen as an important component of Hodgson's starting line-up after making an eye-catching return to national service in the victory over Brazil at Wembley last month.

England face San Marino on 22 March and then travel to Montenegro four days later for a game which could decide who tops Group H and gains an automatic place at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

Wilshere missed all of last season with a stress fracture of his ankle and had not recovered in time to represent England at Euro 2012 in the summer.

He will sit out Arsenal's Premier League trip to the Liberty Stadium on 16 March but will hope to return against Reading at the Emirates at the end of the month.

Lukas Podolski has also been ruled out of trip to Bayern Munich with an ankle injury.